When young Yaroslav reached his sixth year, he went to the Court of
his grandfather the Tsar Vorcholomei, and the children laughed at him,
crying: "Yaroslav, you have no father!" This angered him, and he began
to beat them; and when he seized one by the head, his head dropped
off, and when he seized a hand, the hand dropped off, and when he
seized a foot, the foot dropped off; nevertheless, the princes and
boyars dared not complain to the Tsar. Then little Yaroslav went to
his mother and said: "Mother, tell me the truth--have I a father or
no?" At this the Tsarina Anastasia sighed deeply, and replied with
tears: "Thou hast a father, child--the brave knight Yaroslav
Lasarevich; he is gone a long journey to the City of the Sun, in the
country of the Amazons."
On hearing this, Yaroslav Yaroslavovich put on his armour to go in
search of his father; and his mother gave him a golden ring with the
precious stone. Then Yaroslav saddled his horse, took leave of his
mother and grandfather, and rode forth to seek his father.
One morning, at early dawn, he arrived at the city of the Sun. Now, at
that time Yaroslav, his father, was in the camp; and when he heard the
voice of a strange knight, he cried: "Who comes riding this way? I
will go out and slay him."
With the swiftness of a falcon's sweep, the two knights, father and
son, rushed at each other, and Yaroslavovich struck his father with
the butt-end of his lance, and well-nigh overthrew him. Then said
Yaroslav, the father: "Young boy, go to! or I'll punish thee!" So they
made a second onset, and Yaroslav Lasarevich thrust the butt-end of
his lance at his son and unsaddled him. And Yaroslav, the father,
aimed at him the sharp point of his lance, and was about to kill him;
but young Yaroslav seized the lance with his right hand, and the
precious stone sparkled on his finger. Then Yaroslav Lasarevich
exclaimed: "Whence comest thou, boy? Whose son art thou, and what is
thy name?" And the son answered: "I come from the city of Dobri, in
the kingdom of the Tsar Vorcholomei; my father is Yaroslav Lasarevich,
and my mother is the Tsarina Anastasia. But I know not my father; and
for this reason I am come hither in search of him. My name is
Yaroslav."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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